TAC Family Forums

Share your wins, get unstuck, or see how others use the TAC Method to create a fulfilling guitar life!

  • Starting Over

    Posted by Sheryl14 on September 16, 2021 at 4:34 pm

    I feel like I am starting over…….again! I have had severe hand and finger pain for a few weeks now. I felt I was making great progress until then.😥 Now my strums are off, my fingers are slow as well as my brain!

    Before the big program change, I had cheerleaders to help me through these times but I can no longer find them on the site.

    Sheryl14 replied 3 years, 4 months ago 4 Members · 9 Replies
  • 9 Replies
  • N-lightMike

    Member
    September 16, 2021 at 9:56 pm

    Hi @Sheryl14 ,

    I was one of the cheerleaders. But with the site change I found myself focusing more on my own guitar practice and playing. At first, the slow page loading speeds were just more than my patience could handle, but when the speeds picked up, I was slow on the up take. I can only say I’m sorry.

    The good news is there are other cheerleaders who are still active. @Loraine spends time visiting the forums and encouraging others. @jumpinjeff still comes to the forums and encourages others. And the are many new cheerleaders. @Bill_Brown responds to many threads giving encouragement. And there are others though I can’t come up with any other names off the top of my head.

    I’m very sorry, Sheryl, that you have been suffering hand and finger pain. I glad you are able to get back to playing guitar. And I understand the feeling that you are starting over. However, you have had some experience that you didn’t have before. And you have some knowledge and some muscle memory even if it’s rusty. It’s true that your playing was on pause for a little while, but you didn’t actually start over. What you did was to show perseverance and pick up the guitar when you could that’s a big win.

    And in the future, because there will be other times when you can’t actually play or practice for one reason or another, remember there are ways to continue improving even when you can’t play. You can practice finger independence by placing your hand palm down on a flat surface with you fingers splayed and lifting them one at a time. Try to do it in patterns and/rhythms. You can review rhythms you know in your head or by tapping them out. You can “strum” against your leg to practice patterns and/or rhythms you know or even learn new ones this way. You can review or memorize song lyrics and/or chord progressions. You can review or learn more about music theory. And you can always listen to guitar music and try to find songs or techniques that you would like to learn.

    You are doing great just being here and reaching out. Please let us know how you progress from here.

    MG 😀

  • jumpinjeff

    Member
    September 17, 2021 at 7:23 am

    Hi @Sheryl14 , so sorry for your situation regarding painful hands/fingers. Guitar playing can be uncomfortable at times but should not be painful. You may benefit from an in person professional to help you manage the causes of your pain. I wish I could see how you are playing but hard to do in the virtual world. If you wanted to make a video of how you play in a typical session I would happily look at it and see what I could see. We may have just enough to analyse and correct the things giving you the most trouble.

  • Bill_Brown

    Member
    September 17, 2021 at 9:01 am

    Hi @Sheryl14 , I’m really sorry to hear about your predicament. Without knowing what the cause of your hand and finger pain really is, I’m going to climb out on a limb and assume it’s some type of arthritis. I suffer from arthritis too, and it occasionally affects my hands and fingers as well. When I get a bought of it in the hand/wrist area, sometimes the joints in my fingers get so stiff and sore that I can hardly bend my index finger to fret a C chord due to the pain and swelling. I use a lot of topical creams and gels, some by prescription, and some “over the counter” products. When it gets bad, I use a warm compress on the affected area and try to move that/those joint(s) to limber them up. Then I apply a cream or gel on the area and continue to gently move the joint(s) around. Eventually I can move the joint in a normal fashion with slight to limited pain. When I’m at that point (in the case of my hand/wrist and playing guitar) I can pick up my guitar and play, but only for a limited time. Depending on the severity of the arthritis bought, I may use an ice pack after to help with swelling.

    So the ointments I use are 1) Diclofenac Sodium Topical Gel, 4% ( by prescription) and 2) Aspercream with Lidocaine, 4% (over the counter). Each provide temporary relief, but require frequent re-applications for sustained relief. I use both together, but the Aspercream seams to adsorb a little better into the skin, leaving less residue, and so better for the guitar in terms of less residue transfer onto the neck.

    Hope this helps Sheryl and that you get better soon😎

    • N-lightMike

      Member
      September 17, 2021 at 2:36 pm

      Sharing our experience is what used to make this site magical. Thanks for sharing your own struggles @Bill_Brown .

      And sharing encouragement is another thing that made this site magical. Thanks for coming by @jumpinjeff . Like you, I am trying to do what I can to give the kind of support that TAC was so loved for.

      I sincerely hope that you might find some encouragement and maybe even some kind of solution from these responses @Sheryl14 .

      MG 😀

  • Sheryl14

    Member
    September 26, 2021 at 1:35 pm

    MikeGaurnier, Amazing advice! Thanks so much, especially for the finger exercises!

    I haven’t spent much time in the forums as I have been focusing on moving forward with practicing when I can. I have to make an effort to visit every few days. There is so much valuable help.

    I do get behind on the lessons but I try to print a hard copy before the end of the month so I can at least have a way to go back and practice.

    I have to say I am disappointed with the TAC changes but there are so many valuable assets as well.

    Thanks again! I will continue ‘haunting’ this forum from now on!🙂

    • N-lightMike

      Member
      September 27, 2021 at 12:16 pm

      I hope that with time you can see that this new platform is everything the old one was and more, @Sheryl14 . If you can make it to a lesson to download and print a hardcopy, then all you have to do is hit the “favorite” button (the little heart icon below and to the right of the window), and you will have permanent access to that lesson. As far as we know, there is no limit to the number of lessons you can favorite.

      I am so glad that I have inspired you to continue to ‘haunt’ this forum. That makes the time I spend making replies all worth while.

      MG😀

  • Sheryl14

    Member
    September 26, 2021 at 1:43 pm

    Hi jumpinjeff,

    I really appreciate you taking the time to comment on my situation. I will try to make a video but I am somewhat challenged in video making. Maybe I can get my husband to help if he can stop laughing when I play…Lol! I do not play in front of anyone, even him. I have never played with anyone. That’s why the TAC system works so well for me.

    Stay tuned…

    Sheryl

    • N-lightMike

      Member
      September 27, 2021 at 12:22 pm

      I do wish you would come visit one of the VOMs sometime, @Sheryl14 so you can see for yourself how safe and encouraging they are. Many times people joke about getting positive reinforcement even though it isn’t warranted. Of course, many of us believe that is true for ourselves, but none of us believe it is true for others. Joining TAC is a reason to be commended. Playing every day is a reason to be commended. Coming to a VOM just to listen is a reason to be commended. Playing in front of others, regardless of the performance, is a huge reason to be commended. Seeing progress in someone is an amazing high and gives us even more reason to shower someone with praise. It is always authentic and warranted no matter how we may feel when we are the ones showered with that praise. But hey, it sure does feel good even if we do think it is unwarranted.

      MG 😀

  • Sheryl14

    Member
    September 30, 2021 at 3:15 pm

    Thanks for the encouragement, Mike……I will watch a session and see what it’s all about.

    Sheryl

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